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Jacob Couzens

Jacob is a summer intern at The Doctor’s Channel. He is currently a Pre-Dental student and Finance major at Yeshiva University, and works for an Oral Surgeon during the summer as well. While Jacob usually spends his time trying to outrun his many female fans, he also enjoys athletics, reading, cooking, and playing/listening to music.

While we do live in one of the most tolerant eras in history, there is still plenty of prejudice in the world, whether it be outright or hidden. Living in New York City, a place home to almost every kind of creed and culture, I can attest to the progress our world has made, but in many other places there is no where near as much equality. I have even noticed this growing up in the suburbs, but much more extreme cases of prejudice have definitely sprung up both in and out of our country, some much worse than others. These opinions, usually formed at a young age, can be very difficult to change and can clearly have negative consequences for the prejudiced and the victims of their bigotry. So what can be done to help form the correct, accepting kinds of opinions that pave the way for a future of equality? I’m not pretending to be a nobel peace prize winner over here, but I did notice an interesting study connecting a certain piece of literature to a more open, tolerant mindset, that can be read by almost anyone. What books could work this kind of magic, you ask? Only those about the magic boy himself, Harry Potter. An article in the Journal of Applied Psychology concluded from three different studies that reading the Harry Potter series can...

Working in healthcare can be slow at times, but there are always a few characters who keep us on our toes. In a recent Reddit post, “doctors” on the site were asked, “what’s something you’ve had to tell a patient that you thought for sure was common knowledge?” Here are a few of the unbelievable responses on the site. Whether there’s any truth behind them, who knows. But it’s hard to make this stuff up. 1. Just because it says “contains vegetable extracts” on the side of it, a can of Coke does not count as one of your five a day. Source: tumblr.com 2. Have had to inform a few male patients that the condom only goes on the shaft and should not be pulled down to include covering of the testicles. Source: gifbay.com 3. Work in a pharmacy, had a young woman pick up her nuvaring (a ring inserted vaginally for birth control) She came back in a month to pick up a new one, and was wearing the nuvaring around her wrist as a bracelet. 4. I’m a veterinary technichian. I once had to explain to a frantic client that the ticks she had frantically been trying to remove from her male dogs belly with tweezers were actually his nipples. I also told her she had an extremely well behaved, patient dog. Source: giphy.com ...

No one likes playing games. Source: giphy.com That may change for doctors, though, thanks to a new concept being tested at hospitals in the Boston area. The VA hypertension game combines stock photos with silly captions and multiple-choice questions in an effort to improve high blood pressure treatments from doctors and nurses. By making the material entertaining and getting rid of dull educational materials, the game has actually improved patient blood pressure results over the year that their care providers played it. By also adding a leaderboard of the highest scores, developers have also introduced the element of competition to the game, something that no AlmostDoc is a stranger to, as if we ever finish above the curve we generally look like this: Source: giphy.com Next up is a game letting patients compete in managing their diabetes. For now, you can try this one out at Qstream. ...

In the “Wild West” of college partying, there are many risks to take into account. Sure, there are the normal ones such as drinking too much or spending all of your money at the club, but my least favorite is losing someone late at night. I’m fortunate enough to have some friends who are girls (that’s right, actual platonic girlfriends) that I sometimes go out with, and it’s a huge drag on a great night when we realize someone is lost and they’re not answering their phone. We have to halt the festivities, get in touch with everyone, and confirm that the person is alive and safe. That’s why I was very relieved when I saw this article about a new service called Kitestring. Kitestring is designed to check in on you at predetermined times of the night, and messages your emergency contacts if it receives no response. The interface is easy to manage, and it can easily be turned off or pushed back with a simple text if you’re busy. While it might not necessarily keep you out of trouble, it at the very least can be a reassurance (or warning) to your worried friends. That way, you’ll hopefully end up like this: Source: giphy.com And not like this: Source: giphy.com So stay safe, and have fun tonight, and don’t forget to study...